For months as a Republican presidential candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and tech buddy Vivek Ramaswamy have decried the “wake mind virus,” with DeSantis calling it “a form of cultural Marxism.” expressed. This was largely an effort by the two Trump candidates to rally voters to a conservative cause that sounded fresh without attacking, and therefore alienating, Donald Trump himself.
It failed. Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Ramaswamy failed to capture the momentum, and both ended their presidential bids. The awakened mind virus is still going strong, if you believe in its existence.
Trump, who won the New Hampshire primary and is likely to become the Republican presidential nominee, is by no means soft on cultural issues. He opposes transgender healthcare, calls black activists thugs, and regularly bashes immigrants. A second term for President Trump could lead to widespread intolerance toward social justice protesters and gay service members, as well as mass deportations of immigrants seeking a better life in the United States.
But even Mr. Trump is less anti-woke than the Republican Party's most aggressive culture warriors. Trump said during his campaign last year that he “doesn't like the word woke.” He explained, more or less accurately, that half of the people who hear the term don't even know what it means.
Walkism can mean different things to different people, but it arose among black Americans as a way to describe a sense of racial prejudice. For some, it has a broader meaning, implying sensitivity to all forms of prejudice. In a 2023 USA Today/Ipsos poll, 40% of respondents found the term an insult, while 32% thought it was a compliment. While most Republicans view Wakeism negatively, nearly half of Democrats view it positively.
DeSantis has shaped his entire political image around anti-wokeism. In 2022, he signed a Florida bill aimed at giving Floridians “the tools to fight discrimination and woke indoctrination.” He always describes Florida as a place to “wake up and die.”
His most notorious fight against woke discrimination is an effort to punish the Walt Disney Co. for opposing a law that DeSantis signed in 2022 that restricts schools from teaching young children about sex and gender issues. . Mr. DeSantis retaliated by working with the state Legislature to strip Disney of its longstanding municipal autonomy near the Disney World complex in central Florida. But Disney defeated DeSantis and essentially regained its autonomy. The issue is currently mired in litigation.
In his book “The Courage to Be Free,” published just before he ran for president, DeSantis railed against “the awakening of capitalism” and boasted that his confrontation with Disney was “an attack heard around the world.” . But that was before Disney started outsmarting the governor, and before the entertainment giant canceled a $1 billion office complex in Orlando, citing DeSantis' interference. Disney CEO Bob Iger later called DeSantis “anti-business.” That's an awkward accusation to make in defense of a politician who claims the state is one of the most business-friendly states in the nation.
When Mr. DeSantis withdrew from the presidential race on January 21, polls showed he had won just 11% of the Republican vote, a nearly 45-point lead over Mr. Trump. Ramaswamy, who ran an “anti-woke” investment firm and called himself an “anti-woke CEO” before running for president, trailed Trump by 50 points by the time Trump resigned on January 15. I was being differentiated. , which clearly wasn't enough to give either candidate any momentum.
Nikki Haley is President Trump's last remaining challenger for the Republican nomination, There is actually no anti-wake platform. Although she supports conservative principles such as banning transgender students from competing in women's sports, she emphasizes America's bold role in world affairs, cracking down on illegal immigration and redressing the ballooning national debt. He is also running as a rather traditional Republican, emphasizing the following.
The anti-woke movement is not over. Congressional Republicans occasionally make a show of flogging what was once known as political correctness and holding hearings aimed at shaming its practitioners. And in some conservative regions, where voters are especially concerned about the spread of liberal culture, culture warmongering actually appears to be working.
But if you're a Republican running for national office, especially when your voters are concerned about inflation, crime, health care, and other mundane issues, you're better off than vague appeals to some kind of liberal bastard. , it might be wise to find something more substantial to offer voters.
Tests will come as DeSantis, Ramaswamy and other defeated culture warriors plan their next move. Like any good Trumper, DeSantis and Ramaswamy both supported the former president after ending their presidential bids, and a Trump victory could usher in a second Trump administration. DeSantis is only 45 years old and is widely seen as likely to run for the White House again in 2028. Mr. Ramaswamy is only 38 years old and extremely wealthy and could self-fund his rise to the national stage for years to come, even if he remains a politician. beginner. With Trump out of office, perhaps future Republicans will be able to take up issues more relevant to voters.
Rick Newman is Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @rickjnewman.
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